Chapter 234: Ghosts of the Northern Frontier

Li Qingqiu waited within the Xuanji Sect for more than half a day. Under his treatment, the Prison Qilin’s injuries gradually improved; at the very least, the wounds on its limbs no longer pained it.

Gold Lad practiced its saber behind Li Qingqiu, unwilling to waste even a moment of time, being even more obsessed than Xu Ning and Zhao Zhen.

As the afternoon arrived, Li Qingqiu suddenly raised an eyebrow.

He heard movement at the foot of the mountain.

Someone was coming.

And it wasn’t just one person.

With a thought, he sent Lin Chuan underground to investigate the situation.

Before long, Lin Chuan emerged from the darkness behind Li Qingqiu and reported back.

A massive force of soldiers and horses had actually swept in at the foot of the mountain, surrounding the entire peak. Lin Chuan had scanned the area and found a dense, dark mass of troops, far too many to count.

He estimated there were at least a hundred thousand troops, with more still arriving from the distance.

According to Lin Chuan’s description, this army should belong to the Northern Barbarians—more accurately, it was the Northern Court Army.

Why would the Northern Court Army come here?

Could this be the reason Ghost King Jiming had left?

Li Qingqiu frowned. He decided to wait a bit longer; if the Northern Court Army ascended the mountain and Ghost King Jiming still hadn’t returned, he would take the Prison Qilin and leave.

Time passed quickly.

Li Qingqiu waited patiently.

Nearly an hour later, his brow furrowed again as he sensed a powerful ghost qi ascending the mountain.

Ghost King Jiming!

This kind of ghost qi reminded Li Qingqiu of the ghost king within the soul refining banner, though compared to that still-slumbering ghost king, there was still some disparity.

The ghost king in the soul refining banner gave off an indescribably eerie feeling, whereas this ghost qi felt bloody, cruel, and powerful.

Lin Chuan and Nangong E stood behind Li Qingqiu, already growing tense as if facing a natural predator. Gold Lad also jumped onto Li Qingqiu’s shoulder.

Li Qingqiu once again spread out his Spiritual Sense to peer at the buildings outside the iron cage.

Under his gaze, a hand appeared atop a distant high tower, followed by another. Its body then rose up, gradually revealing itself.

This was a fierce ghost with three heads and six arms. He was bare-chested and wore tattered black pants. His skin was a deep cyan, and two fangs protruded four inches from his mouth. He had long, blood-red hair, and the muscles on his six arms were like gnarled tree roots. His three faces bore different expressions, with the middle one being the most hideous, though it could faintly be identified as a male face.

Standing atop the tower, Ghost King Jiming scanned the Xuanji Sect. Seeing that his prey had not escaped, he finally turned to look down the mountain.

Li Qingqiu used his Spiritual Sense to observe Ghost King Jiming, judging the ghost’s strength in his heart.

He was very strong, even stronger than Ancestor Su Xing.

How could someone of this strength allow Li Sifeng to escape?

Could it be that the reason Li Sifeng hadn’t returned to Qingxiao Mountain was because he had been captured?

Li Qingqiu thought silently, making no sudden moves. He wanted to see the relationship between the Northern Court Army and Ghost King Jiming.

After waiting for nearly another hour, soldiers finally appeared before the gate of the Xuanji Sect. Leading them was a Great General clad in heavy black armor. His build was burly, like a black bear. A scimitar hung at his waist, and he gripped a large dao in his hand. He walked at the very front with a tiger’s stride, radiating a murderous Killing Intent.

Li Qingqiu judged at a glance that the man was an In-Realm Master.

Even in this era, In-Realm Masters were rare in the Martial Forest, let alone within the military.

No wonder the Northern Court dared to march south; this might be their prime.

Upon entering the Xuanji Sect’s gate, the Northern Court soldiers fanned out. The Great General advanced along the main road, his cold eyes scanning the buildings on both sides. Even when he stepped on crushed bones along the way, he did not flinch.

This Great General was named Fang Tianshu. He was one of the top three generals in the Northern Court and a veteran of a hundred battles. Even facing an army of hundreds of thousands, he wouldn’t blink an eye. However, this mission left him feeling very uncertain; he was merely feigning composure.

Because what they were about to face were legendary ghosts and monsters.

In the Northern Frontier, tales of ghosts and monsters had always existed. Legend had it that the reason this land was so disaster-prone was because it was a gathering place for demons and ghosts—a literal Hell on earth where demons roamed and ghosts spread terror.

Several months ago, several tribes had been slaughtered. Initially, the Northern Court hadn’t paid much attention, only sending officials to investigate. It wasn’t until the Xuanji Sect was wiped out that they realized something was wrong.

A Disciple of the Xuanji Sect who had escaped met with the Son of Heaven of the Northern Court and informed him of the ghosts’ existence, causing a stir in the court. After deliberation, Fang Tianshu was eventually sent with an army.

Fang Tianshu had brought a hundred thousand elites, which showed how seriously the Son of Heaven of the Northern Court viewed this matter.

More and more soldiers poured into the Xuanji Sect. Despite their numbers, the Northern Court soldiers felt uneasy. Skeletal remains were everywhere in the streets and alleys, and even some eaves were draped with flesh and blood, making it impossible to tell if they were human or beast.

They even felt as if they were being watched by something. Even though it was broad daylight, they couldn’t help but shudder.

Little did they know, they were indeed being watched by a ghost.

Ghost King Jiming crouched atop the high tower, looking down at the soldiers below. His left face wore a greedy smile, while his right face was full of hatred. The four arms on his back waved about, as if he couldn’t wait to charge down.

Li Qingqiu could see it now: Ghost King Jiming had specifically waited for the Northern Court Army to enter the mountain.

Could it be that Ghost King Jiming had even planted a split soul within the Northern Court to incite the Son of Heaven of the Northern Court to send troops to slay the ghost?

Thinking about it this way, he felt it was truly possible.

“Is this fellow a demon or a ghost…”

Li Qingqiu felt even more confused. Ghosts usually only harmed people; after all, ghosts had no Physical Body. So-called man-eating was merely swallowing them into the belly for torment.

But Ghost King Jiming was different; he was truly gluttonous. To lure a hundred thousand troops—this appetite was simply too large.

Could it be that this fellow could grow stronger by consuming flesh and blood?

He suddenly became interested in Ghost King Jiming. His intuition told him that Ghost King Jiming was no ordinary ghost.

Fang Tianshu led the soldiers to the martial arts field. Looking at that horrifying mountain of bones, no one could remain calm. Even Fang Tianshu’s forehead began to bead with cold sweat.

Even a corpse pyramid built after a great war was far less terrifying than this Bone Mountain, because some of the remains still had skin, flesh, and facial features attached.

The living people in the iron cages noticed their arrival and grew excited, all of them crawling toward the edges of the cages.

Seeing them dragging their mutilated bodies out of the darkness, the soldiers’ scalps tingled. Forget going forward to ask questions; they didn’t even dare to approach.

Fang Tianshu took one look and knew these people were already broken; there was no point in saving them.

“Everyone, stay on alert! Set fire to all the buildings, and do not enter them without permission!”

Fang Tianshu shouted loudly. In common knowledge, ghosts only hid in dark places, which was why they had ascended the mountain during the day.

Hearing this, the soldiers took out torches and dispersed toward the nearby buildings.

Just then, a blood-curdling scream suddenly rang out, startling everyone. As Fang Tianshu turned his head, his eyes widened. He saw a soldier cut in half at the waist, lying on the ground. The soldier didn’t even have time to react, looking up in shock at his own lower half. The scream had come from the soldier beside him, who was terrified by the gruesome sight.

Just as Fang Tianshu was about to speak, he saw soldier after soldier ahead being cut in half. Upper bodies flew into the air as blood erupted from their waists. This series of images brought him an unprecedented shock, and his eyes were trembling.

This invincible Great General of the Northern Court was frozen in place by fear, his hands and feet cold, at a loss for what to do.

The other soldiers fled in terror, distancing themselves from the group of bisected soldiers. They couldn’t see the ghost, and because of that, their fear was pushed to the extreme.

“There really are ghosts! There are ghosts!”

“How is this possible… it’s broad daylight…”

“Run! Run!”

“Hold up the torches, maybe… Argh!”

“Where is he? Where is the evil ghost?”

The Xuanji Sect fell into an uproar. Those screams, roars, and cries converged, turning this place into a living Hell.

Order collapsed in an instant!

Fang Tianshu struggled to adjust his mindset. He leaped up, landing on a roof. He stumbled a step, nearly falling off. His face was pale as he watched his proud elites flee in panic. Anger involuntarily surged in his heart, replacing his fear and restoring his usual fierce expression.

“Halt! No one is to move recklessly! Watch that thing’s movement trajectory clearly!”

Fang Tianshu channeled his Internal Qi and roared, his voice sounding like a clap of thunder.

His prestige manifested instantly. The soldiers all stopped in their tracks and turned to look.

Watching the soldiers being bisected one after another, even if they couldn’t see Ghost King Jiming, they could roughly judge his movement path.

The soldiers nearby raised their weapons and swung them forward.

Fang Tianshu charged directly, gripping his large dao like a tiger descending a mountain.

This Great General of the Northern Court had completely overcome his fear, prepared to fight Ghost King Jiming to the death.

While the living could not see Ghost King Jiming, Li Qingqiu could see him clearly.

Ghost King Jiming had already locked onto Fang Tianshu, all three sets of eyes staring fixedly at him.

Li Qingqiu felt that Ghost King Jiming wasn’t provoked by Fang Tianshu, but rather attracted by Fang Tianshu’s blood and Qi.

Fang Tianshu landed and immediately performed his saber techniques. The dao’s offensive was like a violent storm, unstoppable. Since he couldn’t see Ghost King Jiming, he could only swing blindly.

*Thud!*

Fang Tianshu heard a sound behind him, and his heart instantly tightened. Before he could think further, a strand of Sword Qi swept past his ear, scraping his cheek with a stinging pain.

This Sword Qi flew past and shattered a pavilion.

Fang Tianshu subconsciously turned to look, and so did the Northern Court soldiers.

They saw a massive iron cage burst open. Inside lay a Qilin that had lost its limbs. They had been drawn to the Qilin when they first arrived, but the place was too dangerous for them to look for long.

Under their gaze, a man actually walked out from behind the Qilin.

This man wore swordsman’s traveler robes and a bamboo hat, holding a long sword in his hand.

From just the first glance, the Northern Court soldiers all sensed the powerful Aura of a master from him.

In an instant, the entire Xuanji Sect fell silent as everyone looked toward Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu stepped out of the iron cage and slightly raised his head. The brim of his bamboo hat made his face look grim. His gaze crossed over the Northern Court soldiers to lock eyes with Ghost King Jiming, who was perched on a pile of ruins.

Happy New Year’s Day!

The first update of 2026!